Delta Dialogue Network
For more information visit: www.usask.ca/research-groups/ddn
Background
• Communities in northern river deltas have identified many
common concerns, such as observing changes to the river
system, losing traditional livelihoods, and worries about
upstream activities like dams
• Many communities are working to better understand these
changes through programs such as community-based
monitoring, but their findings and concerns are not always
heard by decision-makers
• There are also many academic researchers looking at similar
changes in river deltas, but they do not always share their
results with the communities affected by these changes
Who is involved?
Research Projects
Co-investigators
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Toddi Steelman (University of Saskatchewan)
Lori Bradford (University of Saskatchewan)
Lalita Bharadwaj (University of Saskatchewan)
Jennifer Fresque-Baxter (Government of Northwest Territories)
Tim Jardine (University of Saskatchewan)
Paul Jones (University of Saskatchewan)
Karl-Erich Lindenshmidt (University of Saskatchewan)
Stéphane McLachlan (University of Manitoba)
Greg Poelzer (University of Saskatchewan)
Maureen Reed (University of Saskatchewan)
Graham Strickert (University of Saskatchewan)
Strickert
Reed
Jones
Poelzer
Jardine
Fresque-Baxter
Bharadwaj
Objectives
2) Identify knowledge gaps within each delta and across all
three;
3) Engage youth in the delta communities in collaborative and
culturally appropriate ways to ensure knowledge continues
with the next generation of delta stewards;
4) Bring knowledge forward to support local, regional and
national decision-making related to sustainability challenges in
delta communities;
5) Create an inland delta network that can share good practices
and lessons learned about knowledge sharing and outcomes.
Created by Peter Downing – Educational Media Access and Production © 2011
Sharing knowledge with policy
and decision-makers in the
Peace-Athabasca Delta
• Student: Sarah Baines
• Academic supervisors: Toddi
Steelman, Lalita Bharadwaj
• Partner organization: PeaceAthabasca Delta Ecological
Monitoring Program
Bradford
The purpose of the Delta Dialogue Network (DDN) is to
begin addressing these communication challenges in
three northern inland river deltas: the Saskatchewan River
Delta, Slave River Delta, and Peace-Athabasca Delta. This
research partnership will look at how to best share
knowledge so that it is useful to communities, decision
makers, and researchers.
1) Bring knowledge together from existing monitoring
programs so it can be better shared with decision-makers,
communities, stakeholders, and youth in culturally appropriate
ways;
Evaluating existing knowledge
sharing strategies in the Slave
River Delta
• Student: Veronica Mauel
• Academic supervisors: Toddi
Steelman, Maureen Reed
• Partner organization: Slave
River and Delta Partnership
Steelman
Lindenschmidt
Partners and Collaborators
• Peace-Athabasca Delta Ecological
Monitoring Program
• Slave River and Delta Partnership
• Government of Northwest
Territories – Environment and
Natural Resources
Slave River and Delta Partnership
McLachlan
• Charlebois Community School,
Cumberland House, SK
• Parks Canada
• Ducks Unlimited
• Aurora Research Institute
• Opaskwayak Cree Nation
Sharing different perspectives on water quantity in the Saskatchewan
River Delta
• Student: Evan Andrews
• Academic supervisor: Toddi Steelman
• Partner organizations: Northern Village of Cumberland House,
Cumberland House Cree Nation, Charlebois Community School
Acknowledgements
This research has been made possible through the help of our partner
organizations, as well as through the support of the Social Sciences and
Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), the University of
Saskatchewan, Parks Canada, and the Government of Northwest Territories.
Contact us!
If you have questions, comments, or concerns about this research project,
please contact: Project Manager Kiri Staples at (306) 966-7135,
kiri.staples@usask.ca
OR
Principal Investigator Toddi Steelman at toddi.steelman@usask.ca